Simplicity 2876

This winter I took on my toughest apparel project yet - a lined, winter coat for Audrey. I was inspired yet again by the classic lines and beautiful textiles of Bonpoint's winter line for girls this past season. Alas, I was reticent to spend $300 for a girl's coat, no matter how beautiful. Enter Simplicity 2876. I tweaked a bit here and there, shortening the longer coat while keeping the pockets (which weren't on the shorter version) and simplifying some of the construction details that I found overly tedious and fussy. The tweed was a chance I took on an online purchase (my first from Mood) that totally paid off. Working with quality fabric is so worth the extra cost.

I was reminded of that fact while fighting with my chosen lining, which was out of my stash and ended up being somewhat of a nightmare. That's what I get for buying a cheap-y nylon blend. A fraying, snagging nightmare. Lesson learned for next time.

In the end, though, Aud's happy with its purple-y shine and I'm happy with the slightly stuffy tweed, so we're all good. I'm willing to make some small compromises as I force my own understated aesthetic on my effervescent daughter, who once informed me that "pink and sparkly go with everything".

I get so happy when I see little details like these sleeve bands. Can you see the little bits of brown in the tweed? It's hard to see clearly in these photos, but I love how these chunky brown buttons bring that out. I browsed handmade, wooden buttons on Etsy forever, then came across these at Hobby Lobby. Which I (humbly) think are perfect. 

(Okay, for the more observant of you, I admit, I have yet to tackle the buttonholes. My trusty workhorse of a sewing machine just couldn't handle the thick tweed. Still figuring Plan B. It's a good thing we live in the Deep South, so buttoning up the coat hasn't been a necessity.)